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Preclinical pharmacology of AZD9977: A novel mineralocorticoid receptor modulator separating organ protection from effects on electrolyte excretion.

ABSTRACT: Excess mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation promotes target organ dysfunction, vascular injury and fibrosis. MR antagonists like eplerenone are used for treating heart failure, but their use is limited due to the compound class-inherent hyperkalemia risk. Here we present evidence that AZD9977, a first-in-class MR modulator shows cardio-renal protection despite a mechanism-based reduced liability to cause hyperkalemia. AZD9977 in vitro potency and binding mode to MR were characterized using reporter gene, binding, cofactor recruitment assays and X-ray crystallopgraphy. Organ protection was studied in uni-nephrectomised db/db mice and uni-nephrectomised rats administered aldosterone and high salt. Acute effects of single compound doses on urinary electrolyte excretion were tested in rats on a low salt diet. AZD9977 and eplerenone showed similar human MR in vitro potencies. Unlike eplerenone, AZD9977 is a partial MR antagonist due to its unique interaction pattern with MR, which results in a distinct recruitment of co-factor peptides when compared to eplerenone. AZD9977 dose dependently reduced albuminuria and improved kidney histopathology similar to eplerenone in db/db uni-nephrectomised mice and uni-nephrectomised rats. In acute testing, AZD9977 did not affect urinary Na+/K+ ratio, while eplerenone increased the Na+/K+ ratio dose dependently. AZD9977 is a selective MR modulator, retaining organ protection without acute effect on urinary electrolyte excretion. This predicts a reduced hyperkalemia risk and AZD9977 therefore has the potential to deliver a safe, efficacious treatment to patients prone to hyperkalemia.

SUBMITTER: Bamberg K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5825103 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Preclinical pharmacology of AZD9977: A novel mineralocorticoid receptor modulator separating organ protection from effects on electrolyte excretion.

Bamberg Krister K Johansson Ulrika U Edman Karl K William-Olsson Lena L Myhre Susanna S Gunnarsson Anders A Geschwindner Stefan S Aagaard Anna A Björnson Granqvist Anna A Jaisser Frédéric F Huang Yufeng Y Granberg Kenneth L KL Jansson-Löfmark Rasmus R Hartleib-Geschwindner Judith J

PloS one 20180223 2

Excess mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation promotes target organ dysfunction, vascular injury and fibrosis. MR antagonists like eplerenone are used for treating heart failure, but their use is limited due to the compound class-inherent hyperkalemia risk. Here we present evidence that AZD9977, a first-in-class MR modulator shows cardio-renal protection despite a mechanism-based reduced liability to cause hyperkalemia. AZD9977 in vitro potency and binding mode to MR were characterized using ...[more]

PMID: 29474466

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Project description:AimsDuchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked inherited disease due to dystrophin deficiency causing skeletal and cardiac muscle dysfunction. Affected patients lose ambulation by age 12 and usually die in the second to third decades of life from cardiac and respiratory failure. Symptomatic treatment includes the use of anti-inflammatory corticosteroids, which are associated with side effects including weight gain, osteoporosis, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Novel treatment options include blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, because angiotensin as well as aldosterone contribute to persistent inflammation and fibrosis, and aldosterone blockade represents an efficacious anti-fibrotic approach in cardiac failure. Recent preclinical findings enabled successful clinical testing of a combination of steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in DMD boys. The efficacy of MRAs alone on dystrophic skeletal muscle and heart has not been investigated. Here, we tested efficacy of the novel non-steroidal MRA finerenone as a monotherapy in a preclinical DMD model.Methods and resultsThe dystrophin-deficient, utrophin haploinsufficient mouse model of DMD was treated with finerenone and compared with untreated dystrophic and wild-type controls. Grip strength, electrocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, muscle force measurements, histological quantification, and gene expression studies were performed. Finerenone treatment alone resulted in significant improvements in clinically relevant functional parameters in both skeletal muscle and heart. Normalized grip strength in rested dystrophic mice treated with finerenone (40.3 ± 1.0 mN/g) was significantly higher (P = 0.0182) compared with untreated dystrophic mice (35.2 ± 1.5 mN/g). Fatigued finerenone-treated dystrophic mice showed an even greater relative improvement (P = 0.0003) in normalized grip strength (37.5 ± 1.1 mN/g) compared with untreated mice (29.7 ± 1.1 mN/g). Finerenone treatment also led to significantly lower (P = 0.0075) susceptibility to limb muscle damage characteristic of DMD measured during a contraction-induced injury protocol. Normalized limb muscle force after five lengthening contractions resulted in retention of 71 ± 7% of baseline force in finerenone-treated compared with only 51 ± 4% in untreated dystrophic mice. Finerenone treatment also prevented significant reductions in myocardial strain rate (P = 0.0409), the earliest sign of DMD cardiomyopathy. Moreover, treatment with finerenone led to very specific cardiac gene expression changes in clock genes that might modify cardiac pathophysiology in this DMD model.ConclusionsFinerenone administered as a monotherapy is disease modifying for both skeletal muscle and heart in a preclinical DMD model. These findings support further evaluation of finerenone in DMD clinical trials.

Dataset Information

Preclinical pharmacology of AZD9977: A novel mineralocorticoid receptor modulator separating organ protection from effects on electrolyte excretion.

Publications

Preclinical pharmacology of AZD9977: A novel mineralocorticoid receptor modulator separating organ protection from effects on electrolyte excretion.

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